


this is the way the world ends (not with a bang, but a whimper)

by lousxgreenwalls



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Character Death, Death, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Fluff, Harry Styles Loves Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson Loves Harry Styles, M/M, Niall loves food, Sorry Not Sorry, The world is ending, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29511357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lousxgreenwalls/pseuds/lousxgreenwalls
Summary: To put it simply, the world is ending and it's Louis birthday.This is heavily based on the movie Greenland on Amazon. It's very good, I recommend it.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 8





	this is the way the world ends (not with a bang, but a whimper)

**Author's Note:**

> Listening to Saturn by Sleeping At Last while reading this might make you cry, maybe. Try it, if you want.

**TIME TILL COMET PASSES: 23 hours**

At first, Harry had thought it to be a great birthday present, and Christmas present, for Louis. The awe on his face from seeing the pictures displayed by the news was evident that Louis thought it too. A gigantic comet flying past Earth, followed by an ensemble of miniature versions, who wouldn't want to see that on their birthday? 

The boys were over at his and Louis' cosy cottage in the country, watching BBC News as they continued to update the country on the phenomenon. Louis had sat comfortably on Harry's lap, sitting forward slightly in anticipation. The news presenter looked ecstatic, as she should've been, commentating every clip they showed. 

The next thing she said shocked them all (but it wouldn't be for the last time that day). "The first chunk of this comet, now named Clarke, is said to hit the ocean within the next few hours!"

This was going to be amazing!

* * *

** TIME TILL IMPACT: 18 hours **

_Holy fuck_ , Harry thought when they heard that the supposedly tiny piece had hit the planet. The blasted thing hadn't hit where they had said. It had been predicted to land in the ocean but had ended up landing somewhere in Florida, instead. Many were said to be missing - or dead by the looks of things. The images on the screen were devastating. Fire and rock had caused suffering and despair everywhere it had touched. 

Harry tugged Louis closer on his lap as he were to be taken away as the people in Florida had been. 

The newsreader spoke once more, her features slightly stressed, "I'm just being told that more fragments are to hit the planet and that the government are sending personal messages to those with specific professions." 

_It made sense, didn't it?_ People working as coffee baristas could hardly rebuild the world. But it was still unfair, the God's above them were willing to sacrifice billions of people just for a few doctors and scientists. 

"This is bullshit! We're all gonna die!" Niall exclaimed.

"We don't know that for sure. The actual comet isn't supposed to hit us, it'll be fine, don't worry." Liam assured him. Famous last words. 

* * *

**TIME TILL IMPACT: 15 hours**

_Shit, shit, shit._ The comet fragments continued to rain havoc across the globe. No one knew when the next one would hit. For all, they knew they could be next, but Harry didn't want to think about that. Each chunk was like a raindrop - doesn't know where it'll fall but it will most definitely hit something. 

They'd seen about a dozen cars whizzing past, supposedly on their way to the airports that were to take them to the bunkers. There had even been military tanks and trucks driving past, too. Harry hadn't a clue about what they could possibly do to stop the chunks. 

And now, they had just announced the best news of the day! Remember that huge piece? Yeah, well, they're now calling it the 'Planet Killer'. Fan- _fucking_ -tastic!

Louis had almost fainted when he heard that. Harry had to pick him up bridal-style and take him to their bedroom. He told him to sleep and just as he was leaving, Louis piped up,

"Please stay." Harry saw the hopeless look on his boyfriend's face and his heart shattered. "I don't wanna be alone when we die." He'd said it so bluntly that Harry almost broke down there and then.

He smiled sadly and lay down beside him. They cuddled like they had done so many times before. Legs intertwined, arms wrapped comfortably around each other. This time felt different, though, Louis was extra clingy. After a few minutes, Zayn knocked on the door followed by Niall and Liam. Harry could no longer hear the television downstairs. 

"Mind if we join you?" Zayn asked. Harry gestured for them to enter and so they did - Liam and Zayn took the space on the small sofa on one end of the room while Niall jumped onto end of their bed, causing them to fly up for a second. He curled up like a dog, taking up a third of the bed. Harry and Louis had had to shift their feet out of the way. 

* * *

**TIME TILL IMPACT: 11 hours**

Three of the five of them had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago. Zayn's head had fallen onto Liam's shoulder. Liam, though, had not slipped into unconsciousness. He seemed to be deep in thought, probably looking over his life and what he should've done sooner, just as Harry was. Niall was still curled up at the end of their bed except now he was asleep, his head hanging off the edge. Louis' left leg and arm were sprawled across Harry's chest and his head resting over Harry's heartbeat as Harry lay on his back. 

Louis loved hearing his heartbeat, Harry knew that. He'd told him once after a night together - they had just laid there afterwards as if they had all the time in the world. All the while, Louis was telling him everything he loved about him. Harry wished he had done the same. 

"I've never seen him like this before," Liam mentioned just as Harry was drifting off. The countdown had been switched on in their bedroom so they could keep an eye on it. Now though, it had been muted and forgotten. They'd decided that they didn't need the constant shrill beeping reminding them of their inevitable demise. 

Harry opened his eyes and turned his head to look at his friend. "Hmm?"

"Louis. He's always been the one to comfort you, seeing as you're the one scared of fireworks." He said with a small smile. Harry scoffed, sitting up an inch, which only made Louis cling on tighter. 

"Are you implying that I'm not comforting my own boyfriend enough?" Harry jokingly asked. He didn't want to seem annoyed, which he wasn't, they had enough on their plate as it was. He didn't want to cause an unnecessary argument.

"No!" Liam explained. "I just- I dunno, mate. The world's ending! I don't know what I'm saying anymore." 

Yeah, Harry could relate to that. He wished things were different. Of course, he did. They all did. But what could they do? This is the way the world ends.

* * *

** TIME TILL IMPACT: 4 hours **

"If you had a dog, what would you've named it?" Niall looked to Louis, waiting for his answer.

"Clifford," Louis said without any hesitation. 

"Why Clifford?" Harry asked. Louis moved his head up to up at him and just sighed, searching Harry's eyes for something. 

He then looked back at Niall, his gaze trailing past the two sleeping bodies on his sofa. Liam had finally shut his eyes and planted his head atop Zayns. They both looked so peaceful.

"Ever heard of _Clifford the Big Red Dog_?" Niall nodded, a tiny grin creeping onto his features. "Yeah, well, I used to love it when I was younger and since then, I've always wanted a dog called Clifford." Louis finished with a shrug of one shoulder. 

Harry smiled to himself while staring up at the ceiling. Wherever they ended up after this, Harry thought, he was going to get Louis the dog he'd always wanted. 

* * *

**TIME TILL IMPACT: 50 minutes**

They should have known the world would end this like. It happened to the dinosaurs, so why not them? 

For the past few hours, the five of them had been chatting about everything and nothing as if it were any other day. Niall had scurried off to their kitchen to grab whatever snacks they had - they'd all become quite peckish. 

"I wish we'd gotten married," Louis said out-of-the-blue, munching on a salt and vinegar flavoured crisp. His friends eyed him in with curiosity. Harry buried his face in Louis' hair. "I would've done anything to see you in a tux."

"But, you've seen me in one before, yanno?"

"Yes, I know. But this time it would've been different. I'd get to rip it off you afterwards when no one else is around." Louis grinned cheekily.

"Eww, Louis, stop!" Zayn shrieked. "We don't wanna hear the details, thanks!" He covered his ears like Louis going to continue, which he didn't.

Then, they were all laughing. Laughing like the world wasn't about to end. Harry grinned wider at the glimmer of hope jolting through him. It was short-lived, though.

"You would have all been my best men. And..." He trailed off for a second and then began speaking quieter, "It would've been amazing, I just know it." Harry ran a steady hand through Louis' hair, comforting him. 

* * *

** TIME TILL IMPACT: 30 seconds **

The time had come but Harry wasn't ready yet. He was never ever going to be ready to lose his first and only love, and his best mates too. They were his life and he was his heart, and you need the heart to live. 

"Lou, baby," Harry encouraged, smoothing his thumb gently across his lover's cheek and wiping away the tears. "Please look at me." Louis did with a shaky intake of breath, eyes flickering with emotion. 

"I love you, okay? Never ever forget that and we'll be just fine. Alright?" Louis nodded with a tired smile. It was a broken promise, Harry knew that of course. The fucking world was about to be pent up in flames and they were about to become ash. 

"What's gonna happen to us?" Louis asked in the smallest voice Harry had ever heard him use. Of course, Harry knew the answer but he didn't want to say it aloud.

"We- uh... there'll be darkness for a while but...eventually we'll see each other again, yeah?" Harry replied quickly without really thinking about it. He didn't have time. Salty droplets continued to run slowly down Louis' face to his chin. Harry had to blink his forthcoming tears away. One of them had to be strong, right?

The timer on-screen continued to spurt out the numbers to their demise. The five of them were shaking, just as the building was, just as the entire world was. Liam was jigging his knees up and down. Any other day Harry would have told him to stop, but now- now they didn't have any more of those left.

 _Ten_ ,

 _Nine_ ,

 _Eight_ ,

Louis lurched forward suddenly and captured Harry's lips in one last passionate kiss. Memories of one another flashed inside their eyelids. How they met, their first kiss, their first night together, the first time meeting each other's parents. They'd had a good run, hadn't they? May not have achieved much, but it was certainly something.

 _Four_ ,

 _Three_ ,

For the last time ever, Louis whimpered, "I love you, too."

And then, there was a single flash of heat and everything turned black.

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely didn't have tears in my eyes while writing the ending. Haha, nope.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are appreciated. Until next time, lads.


End file.
